3MT Testimonials

“Joining the 3MT competition was a way for me to demonstrate my passion for my dissertation topic to a wider audience, and at the same time, overcome my fear of public speaking. I knew it would be challenging to consolidate 200 dissertation pages into 3 minutes in an engaging and informative format. However, what I did not foresee was how much fun it would be to get up on stage and show the world what I’d been doing!”

April Conway
3MT winner, 2012

“The 3MT competition required me to translate my scientific passion into something that would similarly excite non-scientists. I love the ease with which I can now connect with people- I’ve called on my 3MT skills so often!”

Virginia Schutte,
3MT winner, 2013

“As a graduate student, and as a scientist in general, we are immersed in ‘our’ science. We think, talk and dream about nothing but our particular topic of interest. On the one hand, this is needed to make us specialists in the field, but on the other hand, it means we lose sight of the rest of the world, and often lose sight of why we got interested in our topic in the first place. 3MT forced me to emerge from the science fog, and remember the curiosity that drove me into it four years ago.”

Christine Ewers-Saucedo,
3MT People’s Choice, 2014

“As the gap between the scientist and the public widens, the goal of the scientist has changed; we must not only strive to answer questions about our existence, but we must also convince our peers why those questions matter at all. By condensing and conceptualizing for the 3MT, we showcase the global importance of our small, personal contributions to scientific research.”

Alex Harkess
3MT Runner-Up, 2015

“In a practical sense, the 3MT competition successfully bridges the gap between academia and the public, an enormously beneficial task considering today’s surging population and exponential growth of information sharing. Furthermore, it does so while requiring only a short time commitment and boasting huge cash prizes. I cannot think of a less-intimidating or more-rewarding atmosphere to acquire the necessary skills which maximize the effectiveness and applicability of my research”

Andrew Fialka
3MT Winner, 2015

“As budding researchers, we spend so much time envisioning our academic contributions that we sometimes lose sight of the broader picture, the context of our studies, and why they matter to all audiences (not just academia!) The 3MT competition creates a space for translating the relevance of our research across fields and to the public – while reminding us of that relevance, too. It brings us, as communicators, back to that initial spark of contagious curiosity and passion that drives our research agendas, and provides a venue for spreading that excitement.”

June Brawner
3MT Runner-Up, 2016

“The 3MT Thesis is a great opportunity to see the diverse, excellent research going on at the university and also appreciate our own work by stepping back and realizing the significance it has in both the scientific and general communities. We spend so much time in our allotted section of campus with blinders on, furiously scrambling to the degree finish line; it’s nice to pause and look around, reach out to the other departments, and pat ourselves on the back for the hard work we are all doing (then immediately start scrambling again).”